5 things to know about Pride Month

Wednesday

June is officially known as Pride Month, honoring LGBTQ+ equality and acceptance around the world.

Here are five things to know about Pride.

1. It started as a commemoration of the Stonewall riots.

On June 27, 1969, police raided a gay club in New York City called the Stonewall Inn. The resulting riot launched the LGBTQ+ rights movement. The first rally and march was held one year later, organized by the "Mother of Pride" Brenda Howard.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the uprising.

2. The Stonewall Inn is a national monument.

President Barack Obama declared the Stonewall Inn and the surrounding Christopher Street Park the Stonewall National Monument in 2016.

"The Stonewall Uprising is considered by many to be the catalyst that launched the modern LGBT civil rights movement," President Obama wrote in the proclamation. "From this place and time, building on the work of many before, the nation started the march — not yet finished — toward securing equality and respect for LGBT people."

The Stonewall Inn is a continuing place of demonstration for the LGBTQ+ community.

3. Pride wasn't always known as "Pride."

The first Pride event was actually known as the Christopher Street Liberation Day March. "Gay Liberation" or "Gay Freedom" were more common names for marches and rallies. Pride became more commonly used in the 1980s and '90s, when parades instead of marches also became more common.

4. Each color of the Pride flag means something.

Gilbert Baker, an American artist, gay rights activist and U.S. Army veteran, created the flag in 1978 after his friends encouraged him to create a symbol for the movement. Each color has a meaning: red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, blue for harmony and violet for spirit.

5. The largest Pride Parade is in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Over 2.5 million people attend the Sao Paulo Gay Pride Parade each year. It earned the Guinness World Record in 2006 for the largest Gay Pride celebration in the world.